Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Uijeongbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Uijeongbu: $1,365 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Uijeongbu, South Korea
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Uijeongbu
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,365
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Uijeongbu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Uijeongbu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,365 in Uijeongbu, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Uijeongbu $1,365

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,203 in Uijeongbu, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Uijeongbu $2,203

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,042 in Uijeongbu, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Uijeongbu $3,042

Medellin costs about 24% more than Uijeongbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$6.55 ₩8,766
27.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$34.28 ₩45.9K
35.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$6.87 ₩9,198
37.85%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$3.58 ₩4,791
-12.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,727
$1.57 ₩2,104
12.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,619
$0.73 ₩980
94.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$3.56 ₩4,765
-11.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
$4.38 ₩5,861
30.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,969
$2.00 ₩2,672
-23.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,429
$3.16 ₩4,226
-27.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,306
$2.56 ₩3,434
-24.22%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,942
$3.36 ₩4,496
-8.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$15.38 ₩20.6K
-35.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$10.34 ₩13.8K
1.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$10.93 ₩14.6K
27.72%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$6.77 ₩9,060
-40.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,956
$2.50 ₩3,346
-38.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,823
$4.33 ₩5,802
-51.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,437
$6.13 ₩8,212
-62.64%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,839
$3.31 ₩4,429
-36.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,542
$2.56 ₩3,427
-33.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,794
$2.09 ₩2,798
-44.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,123
$1.10 ₩1,479
43.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$3.42 ₩4,583
14.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.5K
$13.72 ₩18.4K
2.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,712
$2.33 ₩3,123
-24.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,793
$3.28 ₩4,396
-17.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,825
$1.14 ₩1,522
3.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,859
$3.51 ₩4,700
-48.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,904
$0.57 ₩768
273.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$9.11 ₩12.2K
-10.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,135
$1.34 ₩1,789
-4.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$29.6K ₩39.6M
16.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$28.3K ₩37.9M
20.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.3K
$210 ₩280.7K
-15.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$34.30 ₩45.9K
-59.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$20.38 ₩27.3K
50.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$50.5 ₩67.6K
-16.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
$13.68 ₩18.3K
22.81%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$11.30 ₩15.1K
-33.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$439 ₩588.0K
79.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$17.7K ₩23.7M
-30.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 279.9K
$62.1 ₩83.1K
39.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$33.73 ₩45.2K
75.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.6K
$68.8 ₩92.1K
101.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.4K
$80.5 ₩107.8K
22.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$492 ₩658.8K
172.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$369 ₩494.4K
80.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$1,273 ₩1.7M
55.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$955 ₩1.3M
8.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
$7,028 ₩9.4M
-41.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$5,549 ₩7.4M
-65.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Uijeongbu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4.08
168.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Uijeongbu: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Uijeongbu
$369 44.7% $298
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Uijeongbu
$385 25.2% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Uijeongbu
$264 18.9% $42
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Uijeongbu
$152 12.1% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Uijeongbu
$110 35.9% $62
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Uijeongbu
$11 * 88.3% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Uijeongbu
$73 28.5% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $492 in Uijeongbu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $34 in Uijeongbu. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $385 in Uijeongbu – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇰🇷 Uijeongbu
🕒 Local time
00:32 12:32 AM
14:32 2:32 PM
14 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
463,077
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,507 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Uijeongbu 14,590 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Uijeongbu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Medellin vs Uijeongbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Uijeongbu cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,047 in Uijeongbu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Uijeongbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Uijeongbu?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in Uijeongbu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Uijeongbu?
Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $2,000 enough for either Medellin or Uijeongbu?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,365 in Uijeongbu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Medellin or Uijeongbu more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Uijeongbu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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